What is it about musk fragrances that draw people in like magnets? It’s impossible not to love these fragrances through any iteration. Musks can be subtle, clean and fresh, woody and earthy or even dark and spicy. That versatility, and its transformative power to smell unique to everyone who wears it, is why I, and millions of others, find musky perfumes so alluring and irresistible.
Even if you prefer to switch up your scents with the seasons (florals for spring, sweet gourmands for fall, etc.), winter is the season of musk because musk, a close-to-skin scent, brings the heat. There’s a reason musky fragrances are often described as “intimate,” “bare,” “sensual,” “mysterious” and “sexy,” or why wearing these invokes the warmth of skin-to-skin contact or the coziness of being wrapped in cashmere.
Keep scrolling for 12 desirable and warm musky perfumes to wear this February that are guaranteed to turn up the heat—compliments guaranteed.
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“If nude were a perfume” is how PHLUR’s Missing Person Eau de Parfum is described. If you’re looking for a pure musk scent that evokes the heat of skin-to-skin contact, this is it. It’s intimate and warm with notes of white musk, jasmine, blonde woods and orange blossom.
Senior beauty editor Allie Hogan calls Retrospect a “grandma-but-make-it-hot scent,” which roughly translates to mean a sophisticated and delicately fresh scent that settles into a warm and sensual musk base. “Ever since this launched, I’ve rarely turned to any other fragrances,” she adds.
AERIN Amber Musk is headier than other floral perfumes—it’s a distinctively warm floral scent with a velvety trance, like wearing your softest sweater next to a roaring fire on a winter day.
Key Notes
Rose Centifolia, Amber and Musk
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You can’t talk about a fragrance dialing the heat up without mentioning this sensual and sexy scent, inspired by the spicy “stories in the walls of a hotel room.” With heady notes of black tea, palo santo, leather, vanilla, bergamot, nutmeg and musk, you’ll feel like your most confident self from just a spritz.
Glossier You Doux blends cozy creaminess with spice to enhance, but never overpower, your unique natural scent. Top to bottom, it features notes of sweet violet, palo santo, frankincense, myrrh, ambrette and ambrox “that embodies the balance of you by showcasing how strong softness can be,” the brand writes.
Key Notes
Sweet Violet, Palo Santo, Ambrox, Frankincense, Myrrh and Ambrette
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Layered with a cedarwood, musk and vetiver base, this woody and soothing fragrance greets the senses with a deep but crisply calming scent that I envision the sun would smell like sitting on skin.
Does it get any spicier than “a sexy, turbulent perfume, in a word: ravageur.” This drama-filler perfume combines sweet, musky and powdery top notes with a rich and woody base.
Kiehl’s Musk Eau de Toilette Spray is a modern take on the brand’s signature Musk fragrance, dubbed “Love Oil” when it debuted in the 1920s. Bright, floral and creamy, this classic fragrance dries to sensual musk and white patchouli as it wears.
Key Notes
Top: Bergamot Nectar and Orange Blossom Middle: Rose, Lily, Ylang-Ylang, Neroli Base: Tonka Bean, White Patchouli, Musk
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Using only ambrette (musk mallow), BVLGARI bottles the skin-like quality of animalic musk. Worn alone, it’s entirely sensual and sophisticated, but it can also be layered with other scents to enhance that fragrance’s “enticing facet,” according to the brand.
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Inspired by the titular skunk (stay with me, I promise), this exotic elixir blends smoky and woody notes, like patchouli, vetiver and amber to create a heated earthy scent.
Want to smell expensive? Yes, this fragrance is an investment, but with notes of leather, suede, saffron, thyme, rose and amber, it’s downright irresistible.
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Super Amber never smells the same on any two people, but it’s always warm and addicting. The cozy composition of musk, amber, vanilla and cedarwood gives it a grounded enveloping finish.
Key Notes
Amber, Vanilla Orchid, Virginia Cedarwood and Musk
